


Day Two Hundred Ninety || Across the River

by 365daysofsasuhina



Series: 365 Days of SasuHina 2019 [290]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Historical, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-21
Updated: 2019-10-21
Packaged: 2020-12-27 13:53:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21119867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/365daysofsasuhina/pseuds/365daysofsasuhina
Summary: They've finally found a place to hide, to call home, where their enemies will never find them. But how to convince his people that this place is both what they need...and real?





	Day Two Hundred Ninety || Across the River

**Author's Note:**

> (This is a sequel to days 60, 77, 140, 165, and 189!)

For what is now the third time - and what may very well be the last - Uchiha Sasuke makes his way out of the fog and jagged peaks of the northern mountains. Beside him is his father, expression taut with thought and worry. They have come from the strange god-village hidden within the range, and have news to bear to their clan.

For weeks now, the Uchiha - whose line has long produced warriors and samurai to project their lord - have been on the run, with a new enemy on their heels. With their lord and master defeated, they were declared criminals under the new ruler, and were forced to flee their homes or face extermination.

They made it through the imposing mountains that lie along the northern edge of their old lands, hoping the terrain would slow or even stop their pursuers. It was then that - in the mist - Sasuke found himself lost...and stumbled upon a strange, almost ethereal valley. There, he met a miko who claimed to speak to a god. He was released and found his way to his people, only to be forced back into the peaks to chase down a traitor. Sasuke did so...and found himself face to face with the valley’s protector. She warned him of his trespass, but was held at bay by her miko, who suggested that it was his fate to find them.

And now, after bartering with the dragon god, Sasuke has been granted passage of his clan into the valley, to fall under the spirit’s protection. Itachi, who accompanied them, has stayed behind to be tended to for his persistent illness. The only question that remains is how to convince the others not only of the truth of their travel...but that their best chance for peace and survival is to join the other lost humans - abandoned by both men and gods alike - in the strange valley between the planes.

Fugaku, Sasuke is sure, is already trying to form the argument in his mind. Though Japan was long a land of kami and faith, the bonds between man and god have faded. Not many carry the old ways with them...and convincing some of their kin may be easier said than done.

But he knows that this is their best chance. The respite they’ve gotten past the mountains cannot be guaranteed to last. There may yet be hunters on their tail, seeking them past the border. And though they have mighty warriors among them, they are few, and weary. If they are to be safe...they must hide in a place where no one will ever find them.

“Your mother is going to have my hide when she realizes we left your brother there,” Fugaku eventually mutters, breaking the silence long held between them.

“She’ll soon know why. And I think of all of us...she’s the most faith left in her heart.”

“Even so...she’ll know no peace until she sees him again.”

“I’ll keep her calm.”

“The others may think us mad.”

“It’s a risk we have to take. You know the safety we’ve found is only temporary. But this...this will be forever.”

“...I hope you are right.”

They eventually find the camp among the bluffs, and any nearby eyes lift to behold them. Questions then flood as Uchiha surround them, eager to know where the patriarch and his sons have been.

But most demanding of all is the matriarch.

“Gods, I’ve had no rest with you gone!” she declares, parting the crowds to behold them. “Shisui would tell me nothing! Only that you’d granted him rank while you went back into those accursed mountains! Fugaku, what -?” Her eyes flicker to Sasuke. “...where is Itachi?”

“...Mikoto, I -”

“Where is my son?!”

“He’s safe,” Sasuke cuts in, gently taking his mother by the shoulders. “He was too weary, and is waiting for us.”

“Waiting? Waiting where? What is going on?”

“A moment’s peace, and I will explain,” Fugaku replies, tone tinged with exasperation. “...please.”

She quiets, jaw still firm.

“...when he was separated from us during our flight over the mountains, Sasuke stumbled upon a village within a large valley. A hidden, remote place. One I believe will house us, and hide us. The...matriarch of the village has granted us passage to join them, if we wish. But on one condition. Once we settle there...we cannot leave, and take its secret with us. I realize that some of you may not be...at ease with such an idea. And I understand. Therefore...I will take those of you who wish to go with me. The rest...I will release to forge your own paths. Renounce your name if you wish, to find peace.”

“You really trust a tiny mountain village to house us?” a man asks, brow furrowed.

“The valley is large, there is room for expansion. We will have to make our own way...but it would be so wherever we go. It’s a plentiful place - Sasuke has seen much of it with his own eyes.”

“What makes it so safe? If your boy found it without intending to, what’s to stop other marauders from doing the same?”

It’s then Fugaku hesitates, looking to his son for help. It’s now or never.

Stepping forward, Sasuke draws the eyes of his kin. “...this valley is not just a place where humans dwell. Within it is a mighty river...and in that river, protecting the people, is a mizuchi. A mighty dragon spirit named O-Suigin-sama. It was she who gave me protection, and allowed me to return.”

Murmurs immediately break out. “You claim you saw a god?” “Impossible! The gods have abandoned us!” “The boy’s lost his mind!”

“I, too, saw this divine beast,” Fugaku cuts in, begetting silence. “...as did Itachi. It is with she he remains to be cured of his illness. She is a spirit of health, and life. She takes those abandoned by the world, and shelters them. Cares for them. Sasuke has persuaded her that we, too, need her protection: abandoned by our lord and left for dead. If you choose not to believe...I cannot force you. Nor will I drag you there against your will. But I believe Sasuke is right. The mountains have bought us time...but not enough. Sooner or later, our enemies will find us. And they will outnumber us. But if we make our homes in this valley, with the protection of a god...we may at last find peace, and safety. And that...is what I want for my people. For my family. For my sons.”

“...we have been given time to make a decision,” Sasuke murmurs in the pervading silence. “And I ask you use it. Don’t jump to conclusions, or act on a whim. This is our future we’re debating. You may think us mad. You’ve every right to. But I give you my word, I know what I saw. And this place...it’s everything we need. Everything we could ever want. And I wish only for my people to be safe. To no longer have to run, or fear for our lives. Our home was lost to us...but we have a chance to forge a new one. Grander, and safer than ever before. When we are ready...the god’s messengers will guide us through the peaks.”

“We barely survived making it over the first time! We’ll surely perish if we go back!” a woman speaks up, anxiously clutching her infant.

“When we were running through these mountains, we were blind and afraid, in a foreign land. But this time we will be guided, with a god’s fortune. We will not be led astray.”

Glancing to his son, Fugaku murmurs, “...take time to think. Such decisions cannot be made lightly. When a consensus is reached...those who wish to accompany us will part from those who wish to leave. And a new path will begin.”

After an uncertain pause, the clan disperses, mutterings and mumblings loud in the air. Expression almost gaunt with worry, Mikoto asks, “...is this truly the right decision?”

“We can’t run forever,” her husband rumbles lowly. “Any other village may hold a threat. But here...I believe we will be safe.”

“Sasuke, you truly saw it? This village, and the god that guards it?”

“I did.” With his tongue no longer bound by secrecy, he tells her what he saw the day he returned: the houses, the shops, the bridges across the river...the clear air, the tall trees, and the beautiful shrine on the mountaintop.

“The dragon was the most fearsome and yet...graceful creature I’ve ever beheld. And her miko is a woman with eyes that can see into the plane of the gods. An all-seeing white eye, she called it.”

“...she claimed to be a Hyūga,” Fugaku offers quietly.

At that, Mikoto’s eyes widen. “...you’re sure?”

“Who are the Hyūga?” Sasuke interjects.

“They were another samurai clan, you could call them a rival of ours. But they were scattered as we were when another lord conquered their lands several decades ago. That there are still some about is...curious,” Mikoto replies. “And yet, in a way...I can understand why they would end up in such a place.”

“There was another, a man who looked near our age. He had the same eyes…”

“They were a very spiritually-devoted family. Perhaps they really could see gods…”

“Well...you can meet her when we return,” Fugaku offers.

“...then we will really go?”

“If you agree,” he replies.

“...I want my sons to be safe,” she whispers. “For that, I will do anything, go anywhere.”

“...then we shall go. But until the others are firm in their minds, we must wait.”

“The god is really attending to Itachi?”

Sasuke nods. “The miko claimed her talents lie in healing. The camphor trees that grow all over the mountains are medicinal.”

“The kami’s influence, maybe?”

“He’s in good hands. I’ll wager he’ll be fit when we see him again,” Fugaku offers gently. “But Sasuke and I should rest - the hike is tiring.”

“Will it be safe?”

“You need to be cautious, but it’s sound enough.” With that, Sasuke’s parents head toward their tent, speaking lowly to one another.

Watching them go, Sasuke startles a hair when a weight settles on his shoulder. One of the owls gives a soft screech of greeting.

“Here to keep watch?” he asks, receiving a gentle nibble on his ear in response. “I beg your patience. This is a big decision for them...we’ve already been so uprooted. How is my brother?”

Another nibble.

“...good. I think I’ll rest. Do as you will - until we have an answer...we’ll just have to wait.”

**Author's Note:**

> More kami verse! And more sort of...transitional stuff, my bad ^^; I thought I'd get a bit farther and have more HInata, but between some life stuff, it being late, and just...not wanting it to drag on too long, I thought I better stop where I did. NEXT TIME! lol
> 
> Trying to convince your clan that you really DID see a dragon and you're NOT crazy and that you have to go BACK into the big scary mountains iiisn't easy. Hopefully between Sasuke and his dad, they'll get at least most of their people to take their word for it and head to the valley and live happily ever after*. But at least MIkoto is on board. The rest...we'll have to see.
> 
> But yes, it's...very late, and I really need to sleep, so! Thanks for reading~


End file.
